Taking shoulders out of arm training

[NonyaBidness]

My shoulders dominate my upper body. I was training my triceps last night and my rear delts got do pumped from stabilizing everything that I realize that I've got to take action. What can I do to keep my delts from getting involved in everything? I try to reposition myself, locking my elbows, letting my elbows drift, dropping my shoulders, raising my shoulders, etc. either way, my shoulder get involved.

 

[asooneyeonig]

and this is a problem because????

 

[NonyaBidness]

and this is a problem because????

My shoulders outpace my arms by quite a bit. I'd like to balance out my proportions.

 

[Rodja]

What lift(s) are you doing?

 

[NonyaBidness]

I get the most shoulder stimulation out of barbell curls (and reverse curls), dumbbell curl variations (especially incline curls), and with tricep press downs and skullcrushers. I've been focussing on getting a better squeeze in the arm muscles, but i have to push through the pain (the good stimulation kind) in my shoulders to get to that point. It's a distraction and I think that it furthers the disparity between my arms and delts.

 

[Tboz]

if your shoulders are taken over your form is probally off... You are swinging the weight up or not curling correct to begin with..

Try lightening up the weight and use proper form

 

[NonyaBidness]

if your shoulders are taken over your form is probally off... You are swinging the weight up or not curling correct to begin with..

Try lightening up the weight and use proper form

Its not the front delts. It's the sides and the rears that kick in. If I swing, I don't get as much on my delts but also less on my arms. I'm wondering about posture and shoulder/arm positioning. I feel like I'm engaging my delts subconsciously to stop my elbows from moving forward or backward. Even on preacher curls where nothing else is moving, my shoulders still get a pump. When i do wall curls, my rear delts don't get as much stimulation but my side delts still get crazy.

Its not just curls though. Skullcrushers and tricep press downs also have the same impact. It's not that my arms don't get work, it's just that my delts become a major distraction and interfere with the focus needed for a good squeeze. Occasionally, they may tire out before my arms do, but I worry about them getting a size benefit from what I'm doing for my arms.

 

[asooneyeonig]

My shoulders outpace my arms by quite a bit. I'd like to balance out my proportions.

so is it an actual strength imbalance issue you are worried about? or some silly bodybuilding thing. if its strength, i wouldnt worry about it at all. if its the other, then there is nothing i can offer.

 

[NonyaBidness]

so is it an actual strength imbalance issue you are worried about? or some silly bodybuilding thing. if its strength, i wouldnt worry about it at all. if its the other, then there is nothing i can offer.

Its a bodybuilding thing, but it's definitely not silly. I definitely wouldn't say my shoulders take over the movement, it's that they get stimulate fr stabilizing the movement to the point that they get a pump and can interfere with the movements. I almost got a cramp in my rear and side delts while doing dumbell preacher curls today until I lifted my arm pit off of the bench. I finally figured that one out, but I'm thinking there's a more general technique I can apply to minimize the interference of my delts.

I could care less about strength. I have it, but it's not really a major goal.